Pokemon X & Y’s Kalos Region Inspired by France

Director Junichi Masuda talks about how it played a role in designing the newest region.

Final Fantasy wasn’t the only franchise out in force at the Japan Expo 2013 – Game Freak’s Pokemon X & Y also featured, with a new Pokemon – a sword-like Steel/Ghost type named Monorparle (French)/Hitotsuki (Japanese) – and some talk about how France inspired the newest region, Kalos.

According to director Junichi Masuda, “Kalos” is Greek for “Beauty” and that was the modus operandi for designing the world: a country with lots of tourists, high-class tastes and sophisticated language.

Kalos also resembles France in its overall design, if you observe closely enough. Lumiose City, one of the game’s biggest cities, was actually inspired by Paris with the tower apparent highly reminiscent of the Eiffel Tower. There will also be a small island with various statues, inspired by Carnac located in north-western France.

There will be other cities that don’t directly draw on the French connection, but look for the laissez faire nation to be heavily focused on with Pokemon X & Y.